Notepad Holder

ABSTRACT

A notepad holder which provides a notepad supporting platform having a top operating face for retaining the notepad thereon, and a bottom supporting face; and a hand holder provided at the supporting face of the notepad supporting platform for holding a hand of a user thereat in a non-gripping manner, wherein the notepad supporting platform is allowed to be freely adjusted its orientation thereof via a hand movement of the holding hand of the user, so that a working hand of the user is able to work on the notepad at a desired orientation of the pad supporting platform.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a notepad accessory, and more particularly to notepad holder which is easy to be held by one hand of the user without gripping by the fingers of the user.

2. Description of Related Arts

Notepad has been widely used for many years. A traditional notepad has a flat, rectangular supporting platform and a working surface over the supporting platform which typically is a stack of paper. For using, the user can either rest the supporting platform on a solid surface or hold the notepad by one hand, and at the same time use another hand to work on the working surface, in other words, write on the paper.

With the development of micro electronics, personal computers are getting smaller, lighter, and more portable. Right now electronic notepad is also available. Like the traditional notepad, electronic notepad has the similar shape and size. It usually has a flat rectangular housing to receive all the elements. It also has a supporting surface on the bottom to give support, and a working surface on the top for input and display. The input and display elements could be a keyboard and a LED screen, or a touch screen which performs both input and display functions at the same time. Tablet computer is one type of the electronic notepad. Another example is iPad™.

An electronic notepad is a miniaturized computer, but the way people operates it is still the same as the traditional one. Most of the time, the user needs one hand to hold the electronic notepad, and another hand to operate the keyboard or touch screen. But there are still some differences. First, the electronic notepad is fragile and much more expensive than the traditional notepad. So the user has to hold the electronic notepad much more securely. Second, the working surface occupies most area of the top surface of the electronic notepad. Not like the traditional notepad which working surface is paper and has no problem to be touched, the working surface of electronic notepad is sensitive to pressure and can't be touched. Therefore only the slim edge of the top surface of the electronic notepad is available for holding.

Here is the problem. In order to provide a good visualization, the screen needs to be large enough. In addition, for easy access, the keyboard, or touch screen simulated keyboard must be larger than a finger tip. These requirements prohibit the size of the electronic notepad from being too small. For example, the diagonal of the touch screen of the iPad is 9.7 inches, and the dimension of the housing of the iPad is 9.56-inch by 7.47-inch by 0.5-inch. This size is larger than average human hand. Most people can't hold the notepad by clamping two opposite sides of the housing by one hand, like the way how people hold a cell phone. A hand with extended fingers can only provide a vertical supporting force and can't provide lateral force to prevent the notepad from sliding. To avoid dropping, people can use a portion of the lower arm with the palm to support the bottom of the notepad, and use folded fingers with the stomach to clamp two opposite sides of the notepad. In this way the notepad can be securely held, but the movement of the holding arm is largely limited.

Another way to hold the notepad by one hand is using the thumb to press the top surface of the notepad, and the palm with the rest fingers to support the bottom of the notepad. In this way two opposite forces are provided to firmly lock the position of the notepad. But the problem for this position is the thumb can only press on the slim edge of the top surface to avoid the keyboard and screen. The user has to be careful, and the position of the thumb may not be comfortable. Another problem is the hand has to provide two opposite forced constantly to hold the edge of the notepad. It will be tiring for a long time.

To assist the user to use notepad conveniently and safely, an accessory is needed. In prior art, some containers with arm band attached were used to bind some portable electronic devices on the user's upper arm. For example, the user can bind a MP3 player on his upper arms. In this way the user can spare his arms and hands to perform dynamic actions, such as jogging. This equipment is not suitable for electronic notepad. First, it is difficult to operate the device. The user cannot see the screen and reach the keyboard easily. Second, because the notepad is wider than people's arms, binding the notepad on the arm is not stable. Also, every time the device has to be bound tightly, and it is uncomfortable. Additionally, in prior art, those portable devices are bound on the upper arm in only one orientation, usually in portrait along the arm. But current electronic notepad needs to be used in both landscape and portrait orientations.

Therefore, it is necessary to develop an accessory to assist the user to hold the notepad conveniently and securely.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Consider the nature of a notepad, the ideal way to work on it is using one hand to support the bottom of the notepad comfortably and safely, and using another hand to work on the working surface. Since a whole palm with all five extended fingers can provide a large flat platform to vertically support the bottom of the notepad, a holder is appreciated to combine the supporting hand with the notepad to prevent the notepad from sliding and dropping.

The main object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus to assist the user to hold a notepad.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus to protect a notepad.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus to enable the user to hold a notepad in various orientations.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus to attach other items to a notepad.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus to assist the user to hold a notepad comfortably.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus to assist the user to hold a notepad safely.

In order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a notepad supporting platform having a top operating face for retaining the notepad thereon, and a bottom supporting face; and

a hand holder provided at the supporting face of the notepad supporting platform for holding a hand of a user thereat in a non-gripping manner, wherein the notepad supporting platform is allowed to be freely adjusted its orientation thereof via a hand movement of the holding hand of the user, so that a working hand of the user is able to work on the notepad at a desired orientation of the pad supporting platform.

These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a notepad holder according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a notepad holder according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a notepad holder according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a bottom view illustrates a user holding a notepad holder in portrait orientation.

FIG. 4B is a bottom view illustrates a user holding a notepad holder in landscape orientation.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of a notepad holder according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of a notepad holder according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a top view of a notepad holder with the straps covering the top operating face for protection according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is a notepad holder assists the user to hold and protect a notepad. The notepad 30 could be a traditional paper notepad; or an electronic notepad, such as tablet computer, iPad, etc.

The notepad holder of the present invention comprises a notepad supporting platform 10 having a top operating face 11 and a bottom supporting face 12 on the two opposite surfaces thereof respectively. Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings, the notepad supporting platform 10 has a particular shape and size adapting to retain the designated notepad. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the notepad supporting platform 10 is in a rectangular shape and has the same size as the designated notepad. Alternatively, the notepad supporting platform 10 is made of flexible or elastic materials which can be extended to fit various sizes and shapes of different notepads.

The top operating face 11 of the notepad supporting platform 10 is facing the notepad 30 and is adapted to retain the notepad 30 thereon. The top operating face 11 further comprises a retainer 111 to removably retain the notepad 30 thereon. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in the preferred embodiment, the retainer 111 comprises a retaining frame 112 which contour having the same shape and size of the top operating face 11. The four edges of the retaining frame 112 are attached to the relative edges of the notepad supporting platform 10. Therefore the retaining frame 112 and the top operating face 11 define a retaining space 113 to receive the notepad 30 therein, wherein the bottom of the notepad 30 rests on the top supporting face, and the retaining frame covers the edges of the notepad 30. It is worth mentioning, one or more sides of the retaining frame 112 is detachably attached to the notepad supporting platform 10 so one or more sides of the retaining space 113 can be opened to slidably receive or remove the notepad 30. In the preferred embodiment, three edges of the retaining frame 112 are affixed on the relative edges of the top operating face 11, and one edge is opened. The retaining frame 12 further comprises a lid 114 extending from the open edge thereof. The lid is folded over the open edge and detachably coupled with the bottom supporting face 12 to close the open edge. In this way the notepad 30 is able to be securely enclosed within the retaining space 113. The lid 114 and the bottom supporting face 12 can be coupled by buttons, Velcro, or other coupling means. Alternatively, the open edge is detachably attached to the notepad supporting platform 10 by zip, Velcro, ribbon, lace, or other attaching means directly.

The retaining frame 112 also has one or more operating openings 115 to expose the operating elements of the notepad 30 such as touch screen 31, power button 32, volume button 33, home button 34, connectors 35, etc.

Alternatively, the top operating face 11 comprises other retaining means to detachably retain the notepad 30. In an alternative embodiment, the retaining frame 112 is rigid extending from the peripheral of the notepad supporting platform 10. The rigid retaining frame 112 clamps the notepad 30 for retaining.

Referring to FIG. 3 of the drawings, the bottom supporting face 12 is opposite to the top operating face 11 for supporting the notepad supporting platform 10 as well as the notepad 30 retained on it. The supporting face can rest on a stable platform, such as a desk, or laptop. The supporting face can also be supported by hand.

In the preferred embodiment, the notepad supporting platform 10 is made of soft materials, such as leather or texture. In the alternative embodiments hard materials are used to form the notepad supporting platform 10, such as polycarbonate. Except the operating elements, the surface of the notepad is covered and protected by the retaining frame and the bottom supporting face 12 of the notepad supporting platform 10.

The notepad holder further comprises a hand holder 20 provided at the bottom supporting face 12 thereof. The hand holder 20 is adapted to hold a hand of the user or other objects. Referring to FIG. 3 of the drawings, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hand holder 20 comprises an X-strap 21. The X-strap 21 comprises two crossed straps 211. Each strap 211 is extended along a diagonal of the bottom supporting face 12 so the two straps 211 form an X shape. Also, each strap 211 has its two ends connected on the bottom supporting face 12 respectively, while the rest portion of the strap 211 is detachable from the bottom supporting face 12. In this way each strap 211 can be pull away from the bottom supporting face 12 to provide a gap between the strap 211 and the bottom supporting face 12. Each end of one strap 211 is separated from the two ends of another strap 211. So there is an inserting opening 212 on each side of the hand holder 20 provided by the bottom supporting face 12 to allow an object to pass through the gap between the X-strap 21 and the bottom supporting face 12. The object could be a hand, a book, a CD, a cable, etc. The four openings 212 are communicative between each other. In the preferred embodiment, the ends of the straps 211 are affixed on the bottom supporting face 12. Alternatively, the ends of the straps 211 are detachably engaged with the bottom supporting face 12, for example, by buttons, Velcro, zip, quick-release connectors, bolt snap, etc. In this manner, the straps 211 can be disconnected with the bottom supporting face 12 first, crossed over the object it needs to attach, and then connected with the bottom supporting face 12. This is convenient for the user to attach the notepad holder with other stuff.

In a preferred embodiment, the two straps 211 are made of elastic material and are in tension originally. So the two straps 211 intend to attach on the bottom supporting face 12. When any object is inserted between the X-strap 21 and the bottom supporting face 12 and push the X-strap 21 away from the bottom supporting face 12, the X-strap 21 will provide a pressure on the object towards the bottom supporting face 12 by elastic force. As a result, the object is detachably attached onto the bottom supporting face 12.

In an alternative embodiment, the straps 211 of the X-strap 21 are adjustable, so the length of the straps 211 can be adjusted to fit the object the hand holder 20 will hold. Referring to FIG. 6 of the drawings, each strap 211 of the X-strap 21 is separated in two parts, and is detachably connected via a adjustor 2111, preferably a Velcro. By adjusting the overlapped portion of the connection, the length of the strap 211 is changed. Alternatively, the adjuster 2111 is a ring.

Referring to FIG. 1, when is the notepad holder is working, a user can use one hand as a supporting hand to support the bottom supporting face 12 of the notepad supporting platform 10 with a notepad 30 retained thereon, and use another hand as an operating hand to operate the operating elements exposed from the top operating face 11 of the notepad supporting platform 10. In this manner, the supporting hand is inserted into the gap between the X-strap 21 and the bottom supporting face 12 through an inserting opening 212 of the hand holder 20. The supporting hand is facing up, with the whole palm and extended five fingers contacting the center area of the bottom supporting face 12. The supporting hand then provides its maximum contact area to the notepad supporting platform 10, and the center of gravity of the notepad 30 is easy to project within this contact area. In this manner, the supporting hand provides the most stable support to the notepad 30.

At the same time, the X-strap 21 is crossing over the back of the supporting hand. Since the X-strap 21 is in tension, it provides a pressure on the back of the supporting hand towards the bottom supporting face 12. As a result, the supporting hand is bound onto the bottom supporting face 12 of the notepad supporting platform 10. It is worth mentioning, compared with prior arts which use one strap to bind the device, the intersection of the two straps 211 of the X-strap 21 is stronger in the center area of the notepad supporting platform 10, which covers the center of gravity of the notepad 30, and the back of the supporting hand. Therefore the support from the X-strap is the more efficient. Also, crossed strap structure provides binding force along two directions, which is much more stable than one or parallel strap structure which provides binding force along one direction. In addition, two straps largely increase the contact area to enhance the holding effect.

In this manner, the supporting hand only needs to provide support to the notepad 30 with the most comfortable posture. No extra effort is needed to grip or hold the notepad 30, and the top operating face 11 needs not be touched.

Because of the binding effort from the X-strap 21, the supporting hand has more freedom to move without worrying the drop of the notepad 30. Also, because the ends of the straps 211 of the X-strap 21 is firmly connected with the bottom supporting face 12, if the notepad 30 is raised vertically, the X-strap 21 will hang the notepad supporting platform 10 with the notepad 30 on it over the supporting arm. In this way, the supporting hand can support the notepad 30 vertically. The supporting hand still doesn't need to provide any gripping force.

It is worth mentioning, in the preferred embodiment, since the hand holder 20 has an inserting opening 212 on each side, the supporting hand can enter into the gap from any side and hold the notepad 30 with various orientations. For example, if the supporting hand enters from the long side of the rectangular of the notepad supporting platform 10, the notepad 30 works in portrait orientation, referring to FIG. 4A. If the supporting hand enters from the short side of the rectangular of the notepad supporting platform 10, the notepad 30 works in landscape orientation, referring to FIG. 4B. The notepad 30 can also be held in diagonal orientation.

It is worth mentioning, in the preferred embodiment, the strap 211 has a enlarged width to increase the contact area over the supporting hand therefore the supporting hand will not feel uncomfortable.

It is worth mentioning, in the preferred embodiment, the supporting hand can enter from the inserting opening 212 of one side of the hand holder 20, pass through the gap between the X-strap 21 and the bottom supporting face 12, and exit out of the inserting opening 212 of the opposite side of the hand holder 20. In this way, a porting of the lower arm is remained within the gap for supporting, and the supporting hand is extended from the hand holder 20 and spared for other performance, for example, holding a handrail in a running bus while the other hand can still work on the notepad 30.

It is worth mentioning, in the preferred embodiment, the X-strap 21 is not only used to hold the supporting hand, but also used to attach other stuff onto the notepad holder to carry. For example, books, CD, magazine, paper, cell phone, etc. can be inserted into the gap between the X-strap 21 and the bottom supporting face 12 for carrying. Alternatively, the hand holder 20 can attach the notepad holder with the notepad 30 onto other objects for supporting or carrying. For example, the notepad holder can be attached onto a backpack, armrest, backrest, etc. The hand holder 20 can also hold other portion of the user's body, such as upper arm, lower arm, and lap.

It is worth mentioning, in the preferred embodiment, the X-strap 21 is also used to protect the top face of the notepad 30. Referring to FIG. 7, the elastic straps 211 of the hand holder 20 are detached away from the bottom supporting face 12 and are turned over to the top operating face 11 to form another X-strap 21. In this way the X-strap covers a large area of the operating openings 115, especially the touch screen 31 of the notepad 30 under the retaining frame 112. This is very necessary when the user is carrying the notepad because the exposed touch screen is fragile but can't be covered for operation. The elastic straps 211 of the hand holder 20 can be flexibly turned over to the top operating face 11 to provide protection. Since the X-strap 21 has two straps 211, the coverage is enlarged.

Referring to FIG. 3, the ends of the two straps 211 are affixed on the short side of the bottom supporting face 12, so the inserting opening 212 of the hand holder 20 on the long side is as long as the length of the long side of the bottom supporting face 12. In this way the hand holder 20 can receive stuff with the width as the inserting opening 212 on long side.

In an alternative embodiment, the hand holder 20 of the notepad supporting platform 10 comprises a patch 22. The patch 22 is in a rectangular or square shape and has its four corners attached on the bottom supporting face 12. The rest portion of the patch 22 is detachable from the bottom supporting face 12. Therefore the hand holder 20 provides a receiving space 221 between the bottom supporting face 12 and the patch 22 to receive the supporting hand from different orientations. On each side of the patch 22, between the attached corners there is an opening 222 for supporting hand and other stuff to enter into the receiving space. The four openings 222 are communicatively connected.

The patch 22 is made of elastic material. Therefore when the supporting hand is inside the receiving space, the patch 22 will provides a pressure to hold the supporting hand. Referring to FIG. 5 of the drawings, in an alternative embodiment, the patch 22 comprises four connectors 223 on four corners thereof respectively. These connectors 223 are adapted to detachably connect the patch 22 on the bottom supporting face 12. The rest portion of the patch 22 is free from the bottom supporting face 12. Preferably, the connectors are Velcro and the connecting position is adjustable. When two adjacent corners are closer, the opening will be bigger, and the receiving space 221 will be larger, vice versa. In this way the patch 22 can be adjusted to fit the stuff it receives.

In summary, the notepad holder of the present invention provides a top operating face to retain for retaining and protecting a notepad; a bottom supporting face to support the notepad; and a hand holder to hold a supporting hand with various orientations wherein the supporting hand needs not to grasp the notepad.

One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.

It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. It embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims. 

1. A notepad holder, comprising: a notepad supporting platform having a top operating face for retaining a notepad thereon, and a bottom supporting face; and a hand holder provided at said supporting face of said notepad supporting platform for holding a supporting hand of a user thereat in a non-gripping manner, wherein said notepad supporting platform is allowed to be freely adjusted its orientation thereof via a hand movement of said holding hand of said user, so that a working hand of said user is able to work on said notepad at a desired orientation of said pad supporting platform.
 2. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 1, wherein said hand holder comprises at least two straps extending at said supporting face to form a hand receiving space between said straps and said supporting face for said supporting hand of said user lying under said supporting face.
 3. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 2, wherein said hand holder comprises two straps crossing each other to form a cross structure, wherein each strap has two ends connected with said supporting face, and a middle portion of said strap is free from said supporting face to provide said hand receiving space.
 4. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 3, wherein said straps are made of elastic material for applying an elastic holding force to tighten said supporting hand of said user on said supporting face.
 5. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 3, wherein each strap of said hand holder further comprises a length adjuster to adjust the length of said strap which is adapted to attach said holding hand on said notepad supporting platform tightly.
 6. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 4, wherein said four ends of said two straps in cross structure defining four inserting in four directions, wherein said supporting hand is allowed to pass throw any one of said openings to reach said hand receiving space.
 7. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 5, wherein said four ends of said two straps in cross structure defining four inserting in four directions, wherein said supporting hand is allowed to pass throw any one of said openings to reach said hand receiving space.
 8. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 6, wherein at least one end of said strap is detachably coupled with a peripheral edge of said supporting face.
 9. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 7, wherein at least one end of said strap is detachably coupled with a peripheral edge of said supporting face.
 10. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 4, wherein said straps of said hand holder are over said operating face to form a cross structure thereon to protect a top face of said notepad retained by said notepad supporting platform.
 11. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 6, wherein said straps of said hand holder are over said operating face to form a cross structure thereon to protect a top face of said notepad retained by said notepad supporting platform.
 12. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 1, wherein said hand holder comprises a rectangular hand gloving pocket having four corners connected with said supporting face, wherein said patch and said supporting face define a containing space to hold said supporting hand.
 13. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 12, wherein said hand gloving pocket provides four openings on each side between two corners thereof to allow said supporting hand to reach said containing space.
 14. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 13, wherein said corners of said hand gloving pocket are detachable connected with said supporting face.
 15. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 14, wherein the positions of said connection of said corners with said supporting face are adjustable to adjust capacity of said containing space.
 16. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 15, wherein a diagonal size of said operating face of said notepad supporting platform is at least 7 inches.
 17. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 2, wherein said notepad supporting platform comprises a retainer provided at said operating face of said notepad supporting platform for receiving said notepad in said retainer, wherein said retainer has one or more operating openings aligning with operating elements of said notepad, an elongated side opening for said notepad slidably receiving in said retainer, and three retaining edges extending from three corresponding edge portions of said operating face respectively.
 18. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 10, wherein said notepad supporting platform comprises a retainer provided at said operating face of said notepad supporting platform for receiving said notepad in said retainer, wherein said retainer has one or more operating openings aligning with operating elements of said notepad, an elongated side opening for said notepad slidably receiving in said retainer, and three retaining edges extending from three corresponding edge portions of said operating face respectively.
 19. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 11, wherein said notepad supporting platform comprises a retainer provided at said operating face of said notepad supporting platform for receiving said notepad in said retainer, wherein said retainer has one or more operating openings aligning with operating elements of said notepad, an elongated side opening for said notepad slidably receiving in said retainer, and three retaining edges extending from three corresponding edge portions of said operating face respectively.
 20. The notepad holder, as recited in claim 15, wherein said notepad supporting platform comprises a retainer provided at said operating face of said notepad supporting platform for receiving said notepad in said retainer, wherein said retainer has one or more operating openings aligning with operating elements of said notepad, an elongated side opening for said notepad slidably receiving in said retainer, and three retaining edges extending from three corresponding edge portions of said operating face respectively. 